Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
@leilabelkora.bsky.social
Science writer. Roots in US (NE/CO), Morocco, Switzerland. She/her. Current project: poet Robert Frost as amateur astronomer, to come from Clemson @cupress.bsky.social
Agent Henry Thayer at Brandt & Hochman.
Agent Henry Thayer at Brandt & Hochman.
Birding the San Joaquin Marsh this afternoon.
Did not manage to get a good picture of the white pelican that flew so low over my head, beating its wings, that I heard feathers swishing.
Did not manage to get a good picture of the white pelican that flew so low over my head, beating its wings, that I heard feathers swishing.
November 28, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Birding the San Joaquin Marsh this afternoon.
Did not manage to get a good picture of the white pelican that flew so low over my head, beating its wings, that I heard feathers swishing.
Did not manage to get a good picture of the white pelican that flew so low over my head, beating its wings, that I heard feathers swishing.
Article of interest to my fellow Californians. As usual, some of the comments are substantive and insightful.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/b...
A City Is Broke. Can Billionaires’ Urbanist Dream Offer It a Last Chance?
www.nytimes.com
November 28, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Article of interest to my fellow Californians. As usual, some of the comments are substantive and insightful.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/b...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/b...
Yesterday’s view of the San Gabriel mountains, dusted with snow. Newport Beach “back bay” in foreground.
November 28, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Yesterday’s view of the San Gabriel mountains, dusted with snow. Newport Beach “back bay” in foreground.
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
Jupiter, itself home to massive auroras, rising through auroras and clouds on Nov. 11.
November 27, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Jupiter, itself home to massive auroras, rising through auroras and clouds on Nov. 11.
Biblichor! I love it.
Yeah ive not gotten into the ebook stuff. If I go to the library it's to get a real book and smell the biblichor
November 26, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Biblichor! I love it.
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
Today, in Utah, homeowners *or renters* can simply buy a solar panel at Costco, take it home, and plug it in to a wall socket, like an appliance. It just sits there & trims about 15-20% off a residential power bill. If you move to another apt., you can take it with you.
November 26, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Today, in Utah, homeowners *or renters* can simply buy a solar panel at Costco, take it home, and plug it in to a wall socket, like an appliance. It just sits there & trims about 15-20% off a residential power bill. If you move to another apt., you can take it with you.
A little good 🧪 news
“Controls on ozone-depleting chemical compounds…are driving the gradual recovery of the ozone layer, which remains on track to recover fully later this century as countries around the world replace ozone-depleting substances with less-harmful alternatives.”
x.com/sptelescope/...
“Controls on ozone-depleting chemical compounds…are driving the gradual recovery of the ozone layer, which remains on track to recover fully later this century as countries around the world replace ozone-depleting substances with less-harmful alternatives.”
x.com/sptelescope/...
x.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:21 PM
A little good 🧪 news
“Controls on ozone-depleting chemical compounds…are driving the gradual recovery of the ozone layer, which remains on track to recover fully later this century as countries around the world replace ozone-depleting substances with less-harmful alternatives.”
x.com/sptelescope/...
“Controls on ozone-depleting chemical compounds…are driving the gradual recovery of the ozone layer, which remains on track to recover fully later this century as countries around the world replace ozone-depleting substances with less-harmful alternatives.”
x.com/sptelescope/...
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
On Sept. 23, NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Apophis Explorer) spacecraft flew within 2,136 miles (3,438 kilometers) of Earth. Video and details: go.nasa.gov/4ofmdIw (Let's hope they don't cancel this mission.)
November 25, 2025 at 4:35 PM
On Sept. 23, NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Apophis Explorer) spacecraft flew within 2,136 miles (3,438 kilometers) of Earth. Video and details: go.nasa.gov/4ofmdIw (Let's hope they don't cancel this mission.)
I’ve used both books and they are excellent. Together they can guide a scholarly writer from the early stage of refining a book ✨ idea ✨ all the way to refining a book manuscript 📕.
The Book Proposal Book ebook is 30% off right now at @princetonupress.bsky.social and so is Make Your Manuscript Work!
Use code PUP30 at checkout
Tell your friends & nemeses!
press.princeton.edu/our-authors/...
Use code PUP30 at checkout
Tell your friends & nemeses!
press.princeton.edu/our-authors/...
Portwood-Stacer, Laura
press.princeton.edu
November 24, 2025 at 3:10 PM
I’ve used both books and they are excellent. Together they can guide a scholarly writer from the early stage of refining a book ✨ idea ✨ all the way to refining a book manuscript 📕.
Good news, and the culmination of years of research into preventing food allergies.
The article doesn’t mention it, but the original impetus for this research came from an alumnus of my high school, Gideon Lack. 🧪
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/w...
The article doesn’t mention it, but the original impetus for this research came from an alumnus of my high school, Gideon Lack. 🧪
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/w...
Peanut Allergies Have Plummeted in Children, Study Shows
www.nytimes.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Good news, and the culmination of years of research into preventing food allergies.
The article doesn’t mention it, but the original impetus for this research came from an alumnus of my high school, Gideon Lack. 🧪
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/w...
The article doesn’t mention it, but the original impetus for this research came from an alumnus of my high school, Gideon Lack. 🧪
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/w...
Took the rainbow picture before going into grocery store. This is what greeted me upon exiting. Very heavy downpour (not snow as it may look).
November 21, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Took the rainbow picture before going into grocery store. This is what greeted me upon exiting. Very heavy downpour (not snow as it may look).
California rainbow just now. Happy Friday!
November 21, 2025 at 10:41 PM
California rainbow just now. Happy Friday!
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
It takes 225 million years or so for the Solar System to make one orbit around the galaxy. Sharks evolved long enough ago that they’ve done it twice.
Man, everything is so bleak, anyone got a fun fact or little bit of trivia they want to share
November 21, 2025 at 3:14 AM
It takes 225 million years or so for the Solar System to make one orbit around the galaxy. Sharks evolved long enough ago that they’ve done it twice.
I couldn’t believe it at first, thought this was a prank.
Some funny replies to the original poster. But still concerning.
Some funny replies to the original poster. But still concerning.
Adversarial poems!
Looks like LLMs are *very* vulnerable to attack via poetic allusion: "curated poetic prompts yielded high attack-success rates (ASR), with some providers exceeding 90% ..."
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
https://arxiv.org/html/2511.15304v1
November 21, 2025 at 3:01 PM
I couldn’t believe it at first, thought this was a prank.
Some funny replies to the original poster. But still concerning.
Some funny replies to the original poster. But still concerning.
Finished draft of index.
First entry, poet and critic Lascelles Abercrombie, one of Frost’s companions in the “Dymock poets” community. Last entry, astrophysicist and curmudgeon* Fritz Zwicky.
*referred to enemies as “spherical bastards” as they appeared so from any viewpoint.
First entry, poet and critic Lascelles Abercrombie, one of Frost’s companions in the “Dymock poets” community. Last entry, astrophysicist and curmudgeon* Fritz Zwicky.
*referred to enemies as “spherical bastards” as they appeared so from any viewpoint.
November 20, 2025 at 6:17 PM
Finished draft of index.
First entry, poet and critic Lascelles Abercrombie, one of Frost’s companions in the “Dymock poets” community. Last entry, astrophysicist and curmudgeon* Fritz Zwicky.
*referred to enemies as “spherical bastards” as they appeared so from any viewpoint.
First entry, poet and critic Lascelles Abercrombie, one of Frost’s companions in the “Dymock poets” community. Last entry, astrophysicist and curmudgeon* Fritz Zwicky.
*referred to enemies as “spherical bastards” as they appeared so from any viewpoint.
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
Francophones, looking for a translation of 'Souillard' – the late medieval name of a Very Good Dog. It clearly has 'dirty' or 'grubby' connotations, but how best to translate it? Google focuses its modern meaning of a sink plug-hole but I don't think that was meant in the C15! Please RT!
November 19, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Francophones, looking for a translation of 'Souillard' – the late medieval name of a Very Good Dog. It clearly has 'dirty' or 'grubby' connotations, but how best to translate it? Google focuses its modern meaning of a sink plug-hole but I don't think that was meant in the C15! Please RT!
I agree, though I would put the emphasis on the endurance of the project rather than the technology. An interesting story!
This is so great: a technology that endured, and achieved the intended goal, because of human relationships.
www.scientificamerican.com/article/forb...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/forb...
I Sent Hundreds of Thousands of E-mails to the Future. Here’s the Story
Twenty years ago Forbes.com sent hundreds of thousands of messages to the future. Here’s what happened next
www.scientificamerican.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:31 AM
I agree, though I would put the emphasis on the endurance of the project rather than the technology. An interesting story!
I grew up in Switzerland and studied American history in a rather superficial way. I’m finding this new series engaging and informative. Learning some surprising details.
"I think understanding the origin story, and understanding what the intention was, of the creation of the United States as it morphed, and as it changed as it went along, helps us today understand not only where we are, but where we could be going," Ken Burns said. https://to.pbs.org/4p6Y47H
Ken Burns' 'The American Revolution' explores the beginnings of the nation's democracy
"The American Revolution," the latest work from filmmaker Ken Burns, begins this Sunday on PBS. The six-part, 12-hour history of the war of independence from Britain and the beginnings of the American...
to.pbs.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
I grew up in Switzerland and studied American history in a rather superficial way. I’m finding this new series engaging and informative. Learning some surprising details.
Genealogy and archaeology of the stars used to find more “sisters” of the Pleiades asterism!
This study used multiple instruments and approaches, including tracking stars’ motion backward in time with Gaia. So cool! 🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/s...
This study used multiple instruments and approaches, including tracking stars’ motion backward in time with Gaia. So cool! 🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/s...
The ‘Lost Sisters’ of the Pleiades Fill the Entire Night Sky
www.nytimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Genealogy and archaeology of the stars used to find more “sisters” of the Pleiades asterism!
This study used multiple instruments and approaches, including tracking stars’ motion backward in time with Gaia. So cool! 🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/s...
This study used multiple instruments and approaches, including tracking stars’ motion backward in time with Gaia. So cool! 🧪🔭
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/s...
Rain.
Risk of landslides and flooding in the burn scar areas—hoping for the best for those places.
Risk of landslides and flooding in the burn scar areas—hoping for the best for those places.
November 15, 2025 at 7:49 PM
Rain.
Risk of landslides and flooding in the burn scar areas—hoping for the best for those places.
Risk of landslides and flooding in the burn scar areas—hoping for the best for those places.
I now see why this plant, Dracaena fragrans “Warneckii,” has “fragrans” in its name. On this humid rainy night it is releasing a very sweet odor. It’s a lot like jasmine to me.
November 15, 2025 at 3:21 AM
I now see why this plant, Dracaena fragrans “Warneckii,” has “fragrans” in its name. On this humid rainy night it is releasing a very sweet odor. It’s a lot like jasmine to me.
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
"The health of our community depends on the health of these landscapes. Now, their future seems increasingly uncertain." @alex-wigglesworth.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com
The government shutdown is over. The nightmare facing public lands under Trump may have just begun
During the recent government shutdown, it appeared that public lands were operating as if business was as usual. In reality, the Trump administration may have been preparing for a new, more extractive...
www.latimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:34 AM
"The health of our community depends on the health of these landscapes. Now, their future seems increasingly uncertain." @alex-wigglesworth.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com
A great poem about a meadowlark, in a beautiful short piece of appreciation. You’ll like both, birding and ecology pals.
My latest Echolocations issue: english.web.ox.ac.uk/article/echo...
Echolocations: Reflections on Poems by A.E Stallings (Issue 5)
english.web.ox.ac.uk
November 14, 2025 at 3:25 PM
A great poem about a meadowlark, in a beautiful short piece of appreciation. You’ll like both, birding and ecology pals.
Reposted by Leila Belkora PhD, astrophysics
Daina Taimina, a Cornell University mathematician uses crochet to demonstrate Hyperbolic Geometry #womensart
November 13, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Daina Taimina, a Cornell University mathematician uses crochet to demonstrate Hyperbolic Geometry #womensart